Freedom: House of Night
by T.K. Huynh
Summary: Lorraine Arieta cares only about her family. At sixteen, she is raising her three younger siblings and her missing sister's baby. The well-being of everything she has made for them is jeopardized when she is Marked by a tracker and then refuses to stay at the House of Night.
1. Chapter 1

A note from the author:

I'm revising this story entirely. The reason I haven't been on this site or working on this story at all is because I've been writing an original series and looking for an agent to get it published. You can find the first drafts of those books on Fiction Press . com under my pen name: T.K. Huynh. I'm currently working on the fourth book of the series. One through three are posted in their entirety. I invite you to check those out.

Thanks for reading,

T.K.

* * *

**1.**

My whole life revolved around raising my kids. They aren't really my kids, but I'm the only parental figure that's ever been in their life. So as far as any of us are concerned, they're mine. Seeing as how my mother did nothing but gamble and drink and my father was dead, I was left to raise my younger sisters, Diana and Jamie, and our youngest brother, Perry. Diana is twelve. Jamie is seven. Perry is five.

I am an emancipated minor. My income comes from the paintings I sell, and at almost a thousand dollars per square inch of canvas, it makes me one of the richest sixteen-year-olds in the country. It is for this reason that my one other sister—who should be eighteen by now—had picked me to take her son.

On the 19th of July 2037, a baby was left on my doorstep in a beaten, dirty wicker basket. Bundled in the blanket I had given my older sister for her fifteenth birthday, a little infant slept. The only identification the newborn had was a post-it note where the barely legible scribble of my sister's read "Byron."A baby boy, no more than a few days old, and she had left him on my doorstep.

My first thought was of the baby's health. The second was that my sister had been in such close proximity to me, and I hadn't even gotten to see her. It had been three years since she abandoned the family to run off with some guy, and my mother had really fallen off the wagon then. That's when she added vodka and rum to her alcohol collection.

Trapped in the destitution that was my house, there was nothing I could do but emancipate myself. Child Protective Services took my kids, and my paintings took a darker edge, filled with my sorrowful emotions. As a result, a well-known buyer offered substantial money for a collection, and my paintings became increasingly popular from the showcase. The increase in income got me some legal help, and I got my kids back.

We all look out for each other. It was a system where I provided guidance and shelter and money, and they continued being kids, enjoying the little that I could muster up of a childhood for them.

The problem with having a fourth kid to care for was that three children was in my legal agreement, and I was legally obligated to turn Byron in to CPS. But he was family. My nephew. Our nephew. He was a happy, healthy baby, and he smiled and giggled with my sister's bright green eyes. The second I introduced him to the family, everyone was ecstatic. We bought him formula and diapers and baby clothes. I took him in as my own. He slept in my bed, and I fed him and clothed him. He fell asleep on my easel. Diana bathed him. Jamie burped him. Perry made him laugh with silly faces. I couldn't ask for anything more. For three months, everything was perfect.

And then it got all fucked up.

Vampyre trackers roam the streets of Miami. They have the ability to Mark one, making the victim into a vampyre fledgling. A slave to the night and a prisoner to the House of Night.

I had walked out of the grocery store, Byron in a sling around my chest. The days were getting darker sooner as winter approached, so it was almost sunset when my hand touched the trunk of my car. "Lorraine Arieta!" I spun around, guarding Byron. "Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth. Night calls to thee; hearken to Her sweet voice. Your destiny awaits you at the House of Night!"

Terror cannot even begin to describe the feeling I had then because I knew the effects of what such a burden would have on my family, and as the tracker lifted his finger to my head, I had one thought: protect the baby.

I steeled myself for the pain so that when it came, I wasn't completely knocked out. Clutching to Byron, I spat a curse at the tracker. "You bastard!" I yelled at his hazy figure. "I have a baby!"

The sharp stabbing in my head had me staggering to open my car and shakily place Byron on the seat. Praying for luck that Byron would be safe until I awoke again, I was pulled into unconsciousness.

* * *

I have to help Byron.

"I don't know what to do!" someone exclaimed.

"Well, is it hungry?" someone else asked.

"I don't know. I'm not good with kids."

The baby was crying.

"What should we do?"

Help the baby.

"I don't know!"

My eyes shot open to see a white ceiling, but I wasn't concerned about where I was. "Byron!" I shot up and crossed cold tile to where he lay, crying his little eyes out. "It's okay, sweetie," I cooed. "I'm here."

"You shouldn't be up."

I turned my attention to a very pretty young woman.

"Please lay down."

I turned around again to another very pretty young woman.

It didn't matter who they were. My baby was crying, and I was in an unfamiliar place. "What the fuck do you think you're doing!" I snapped. "Do not tell me what to do! Both of you, sit down!"

They took the chairs at the side of the room where I had lied like obedient children. The room was too damn white, and I grew agitated by it all the more. White bed and sheets. White walls. White chairs. Even a white table where they had place Byron. "Now, you." I pointed to the brunette, ditzy-looking one. "Where am I?"

She looked down from my gaze. "The House of Night," she answered softly.

I looked at the blond one. "Why am I here?"

"After you were Marked," she explained quickly, obviously not used to being under pressure, "someone called and said that you had a baby and that you needed help."

I looked at my watch and cursed. "Fuck me." I headed toward the door. The kids were probably worried sick.

"Wait, if you leave, you'll die!" The brunette called.

"You're our respon—"

"Shut up! You two don't know the first thing about responsibility!" I swung the door open and hurried out.

Byron had stopped crying, but without the sling, it was hard to support him and not jostle him too much. To make matters worse, I didn't know where the hell I was going, so I all but ran down the white corridor that I now found myself trapped in. Hoping I was going the right way, I picked the door at the end. It lead to the dark outside where a lawn of grass greeted me.

I hurried across it and began my five mile walk home.

It was almost eight when I finally arrived. Diana was pacing by the phone while Jamie and Perry were engrossed in TV. They leaped up and grinned with relief when I walked in. "Lori!" they cried. "Where have you been? Are you okay? What's that on your head? Did you bump it?"

I smiled, happy to be home, and moved my bangs over the Mark. "Questions later," I said. "Diana, take Byron to bed and feed him while I make a quick dinner."

"Okay." The eldest looked suspicious as she took the baby and scurried away.

I sighed. "Who wants spaghetti!"

Jamie and Perry jumped happily.

"Then go watch TV, and it'll be right up!"

They went right back to the TV, so I walked around the kitchen and into the hallway. It was so good to be home and feel the hardwood underfoot and see the warm tan of the walls. But something was more pressing.

I turned into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. A sapphire blue-crescent outline was firmly planted at the center of my forehead. Marking me. Cursing me. Dooming my family. "God-fucking-damn it," I cursed softly. "Shit..."

I took a bit of concealer and smeared it over the Mark, successfully hiding it. No one could know.

When I walked out again, everything had returned to normal. Perry and Jamie were watching TV. Diana's giggles and Byron's coos drifted from the bedroom down the hall. It was as if today had never happened. Everything was okay.

I started up dinner, switching to auto-pilot. Spaghetti was easy enough to make that I could afford to tune out and make myself focus on other things like work. As I was considering the design for the newest showcase, Jamie and Perry were suddenly sitting at the table with bowls of spaghetti in front of them. And mom-mode wins again.

Diana came as soon as I called her, and we chatted about school. Jamie and Perry reminded me again that Thanksgiving was in two weeks. Diana wanted to go to a school dance. Nice, normal topics. I calmed down with the sense of normalcy and listened to them.

It was after dinner that everything started to fall apart again. It felt as if my brain would split. "Diana could you get Jamie and Perry to bed?" I asked and rubbed my temples. Once again, I was so grateful to have Diana help with the kids. As she lead the little ones away, I continued scrubbing the marinara sauce off the dishes, and ignored the pressure behind my eyes.

A few minutes later, Diana came back. "They're in bed," she said. "But I want some answers." When she stared with Mom's eyes, those icy blue irises, I felt like breaking down and crying.

"It's late," I said. "You should go to bed, too."

Diana took the sponge from my hand and pushed me from the sink. "You look like hell," she stated frankly. "Now, sit down and tell me what's going on. Why were you so late today?" Any other twelve-year-old would not have been so bold, let alone cussed so much. But I'd raised my girl tough.

I sighed and leaned against the counter top. "If I tell you," I started reluctantly, "you have to promise to keep this a secret."

"You can trust me."

I wiped at the concealer on my forehead, revealing the crescent moon outline. "I was Marked."

Diana nearly dropped the pot she was washing. "But you can't... That means... Damn, are you okay?"

"Other than this headache, I feel...normal." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "What am I going to do? I can't leave you guys."

Diana turned the faucet off and dried her hands on the dish towel, looking thoughtful. "I...don't know," she said softly. "Fuck, Lori. This is not good."

"You don't have to tell me that."

"Do we have to move again?"

"I don't know."

Diana sighed and pulled her long, blond hair back. "What am I supposed to tell Jamie and Perry?"

"Nothing yet. They wouldn't understand anyway."

"So what's the next move?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "I'll call Ophelia to get the car tonight so that I can drop everyone off at school tomorrow."

"So you're not going to do anything at all about the vampyres?"

"I don't dare. If people find out that I've been Marked, they'll take away all of you. I'm not going to let any of you go back into the system."

Diana looked as if she were going to cry, so I pulled her into an embrace. "It's going to be okay, honey," I said. "I'll take care of all of you. I'm never letting you go again."

She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. "I know. I trust you."

I hoped her trust wasn't misplaced.

* * *

The pain was unbearable. Over the course of thirteen hours, the headache had spread down my spine and flared out in my limbs. I was nearly incapacitated when I returned home, having dropped off the kids at school, and made sure to set Byron down on the bed before I dropped him. The world was wavering, fading to black and returning again. I stumbled into the bathroom and tried to steady myself on the sink basin. The place where the Mark was on my forehead was the origin of the pain, throbbing through my skull.

I hardly recognized myself in the mirror, wiping away the concealer on my forehead. The sapphire-blue crescent looked almost glowing in comparison to the pale of my skin. The short black hair I kept was matted to my head with sweat. But it was the ice blue eyes of my mother that stared fiercely back that scared me. That familiar crazed look.

As I looked at my reflection, the pain increased until I was dizzy with it, singling in on the Mark. Before my eyes, the blue crescent changed color, but I lost consciousness before I could see the result.

* * *

_Rise. Thy gift will guide you. Thy spirit will carry you. Your journey has yet to start, my child._

* * *

"Over thirteen hours, and she's still alive?" a pleasant voice like chimes spoke incredulously.

"She's been blessed by Nyx," another pleasant, deeper voice spoke. "Look at her Mark."

There was a sigh. "This hasn't happened since Zoe," the female voice said.

"Perhaps it is why the High Priestess has been behaving strangely. She has awaited this gift from Nyx."

I opened my eyes to an irritatingly recognizable room. My headache was gone, and I felt strong again when I sprung up and faced a disturbingly beautiful man and woman.

The woman looked unusually stoic, her hair a strange platinum blond like silken threads falling past her shoulders. Tattoos framed her face majestically in graceful, loose swirls like the sweeping wind. From her appearance, I might have believed that a breeze would carry her away; she was so frail.

The man was very different. Firm. Built. Sturdy. He stood tall beside the woman, a dark presence to him. His tattoos were sharp designs over his cheeks and on his jaw like lightning. He straightened out his black suit and ran a hand through his brown hair when I rose.

"Miss Arieta," the woman addressed, "I am Professor June Marigold, and this is Professor Dimitirus Loma. Welcome again to the House of Night."

I didn't give a shit about who they were. I didn't even care that they were vampyres. "Where are my kids?" I asked, trying to stay calm. "Where's my baby?"

"Diana, Jamie, and Perry are still at school. Byron is in the medical ward with very capable nurses."

I was disturbed by how she knew their names, but I was more concerned about getting Byron to me. "Let me see Byron."

"Of course," she said. "Please follow me." The vampyre's white dress fluttered behind her as she walked out of the room. I followed, keeping a wary eye on the Dimitrius guy as he followed behind me.

"I understand you have a special situation," Marigold began. "We have made arrangements to have you stay in a special room of the girls' dormitory so that you may stay with your siblings and Byron."

"Stay here?" I shook my head. "Absolutely not. I have a life. My kids have a life. We have a life. I can't just take that away from them."

"We will provide services and schooling for them. They will have the best education here."

I was starting to lose a handle on my anger. "So now they're going to be isolated?"

Marigold started to lose her composure. "Whatever do you mean?"

I took a breath. "Do you have kids, Marigold?"

"Please call me Miss Marigold or Professor, and no, I don't have any children."

"Kids need to interact and play with others. They need to run around and have fun. To keep them trapped in this place, only knowing night and people much older than them, they wouldn't be happy. No, if I have to stay here, the kids should continue going to the same school."

"Miss Arieta, that is very unreasona—"

"Do _not_ tell me how to raise _my_ kids."

Dimitrius stepped in. "Miss Arieta—"

"Call me Lori."

He pursed his lips. We stepped out of the building and into a large quad where the sun was still fairly high. The vampyres shifted, agitated in the sun. "Lori," Dimitirius began again, "I think you're not looking at this situation right. We're only trying to help you."

I had had enough. "Okay, let me break this down for you," I said slowly, mocking them. "I have three kids, a baby, an unstable income, and the government at my heels just waiting to take my kids away from me if I so much as hiccup.

"So what about the situation am I not looking at right? Is it the fact that I have a responsibility to my kids' development and well-being? Is it that now I could have them taken away from me again? Is it that everything I have worked for to provide for them is now jeopardized? What is it? Enlighten me."

They were silent, and I briefly enjoyed shutting them up. We approached a building the size of a small house and walked in. The place was as stabbing white as the other, but it had the air of a hospital, making it more bearable. "Please wait here," Marigold said and walked into a room.

I was anxious to have Byron back and angry that I had been dragged into all this, so when Marigold came out of the room with him in her arms, I all but snatched him back. He was sleeping soundly and curled up to my breast when I held him. All the anger flooded out of me then, and I found myself sighing with the small relief I felt then. "If I'm going to stay here," I started slowly, "I need it to be understood that my kids are mine, and as their guardian, I am responsible for them totally and completely. That also means that I decide where they go to school and how they are going to live here."

"We wouldn't have it any other way."

Heads turned to see a man in a white button-down and black slacks. From the way he carried himself, he looked to be important, which was confirmed when everyone bowed and crossed their fists over their chests.

He wasn't like Dimitrius. The air around him wasn't dark and smothering. He had a lightness to him and a more welcoming appearance. His clothes were slightly disheveled, as if he had come back from a day's work, and his hair was a normal light brown color. "The last thing we want to do, Miss Arieta," he said, "is make you more stressed."

For whatever reason, he irritated me more than any other vampyre I had met here. Just staring into the green of his eyes brought all my anger back. "Well, you're doing a shit job of it," I said with a sarcastic smile.

A collective gasp followed, but the guy smiled. "I'm sorry you feel that way," he apologized, perhaps with deceptive sincerity. "What can we do to make this better?"

"Well, for starters, you can stop trying to get me here and just leave me the hell alone."

"We can't do that."

"And just why not?"

Marigold stepped in. "Sir, this manner is highly inappro—"

The guy stopped her with a hand. "It's okay, June." He looked back to me. "Miss Arieta—"

"Lori," I interjected again.

"Lori," he said pleasantly, "if you are not in close proximity to an adult vampyre, you will die after a time. The Change will set in, and your body will reject it. You cannot leave."

I took a stance, holding Byron close. "I was going to stay, but after talking to Miss Stick-up-her-ass and Batman over here, I think I'll be going."

"You can't."

I got real close to the guy's face. "Watch me." With that, I turned back the way we'd come.

"I could tell them, you know," the guy said suddenly. "The moment they find out you've been Marked, they'll take it all away."

I stopped.

"Everything."

I turned back around. "You wouldn't."

As he stared back at me calmly, I had never hated a guy more. He had an amiable smile as he said, "Watch me."


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

I needed a light. Somehow, I had managed to be in a large suite on the top floor of the girl's dormitory, complete with a kitchen and TV. According to that wretched guy, the entire floor was mine, which was preferable anyway since I wouldn't have my kids hanging around partying teenagers, vampyre teenagers especially. When I had told this to Diana, she pointed out that I was sixteen, a teenager.

Still, I didn't know these people, and having spent two years in high school and three in college, I was very cautious of teenagers. They were irresponsible and rude and hormone-filled. All the relationship drama and who talked shit about who and what's in or out. And all for what? It was stupid. High school was just a beauty pageant where everyone was concerned about what they looked like and who to be. Fuck it. When out and in the world, it mattered very little who had the best hair.

But I never thought that I would be back at school.

So as I stood in the setting sun against the dormitory wall and blew out another puff of smoke, I reflected back on my life and tried to remember where it was that I went wrong. Was it leaving my mother to drive herself into bankruptcy? Was it illegally taking a baby into my care?

"Fuck me," I muttered and leaned my head against the wall, closing my eyes.

"That bad, huh?"

I didn't want to open my eyes for reluctance to see that man's face. "What do you want?" I groaned. "Haven't you done enough?"

"Forgive me," he said. "I had to be firm in front of the company."

I chuckled darkly. "'Firm,'" I scoffed and opened my eyes too look into his green ones. "You threatened my family." He stood only a few feet away, but I wanted to make a point and got close to him. "Excuse me if I'm _firm_, but ever come near my kids, and I will be sure to take your bastard ass down."

He looked unfazed, which pissed me off all the more. "I don't mean you any harm," he said slowly. "In fact, I'm here to protect you and your kids."

"And why's that?"

"Because Nyx has chosen you."

I pushed back my bangs. "You mean this? Everyone here has this."

He showed some real emotion for once when a flash of irritation crossed his face for a split second, only to be covered by a smile. "You are different. Yours is not blue."

"What? Yes, it is. I looked at it yesterday."

"It's changed color. Proof that Nyx has bestowed a gift upon you."

I couldn't take this. "Just...just leave me alone." My voice cracked with emotion, starting to breakdown under the stress. I took the last, long drag from my cigarette and crushed it against the pavement.

"You shouldn't smoke."

I turned to the door. "Bite me."

As I walked in, I caught his mumble, "Don't tempt me."

"Lori." Perry, my little boy, clung to my skirt when I walked in. "Are you smoking again?"

I sighed. "Just today, Perry," I said. "I needed it."

He looked up at me with those big brown eyes. Unlike Diana, Perry and Jamie looked like their father. Brown hair. Big brown eyes. A sweet smile. "It's bad for you," Perry said.

I softened. "You're right," I admitted. "I'm sorry." I looked around. "Do you like your new home?"

Perry nodded. "It's bigger!"

His enthusiasm made me like the place more. "That's good," I said. It was indeed bigger. The place was a penthouse. The windows lined the western side, showing the sun's fading light over the horizon. It was beautiful. Illuminating off the hardwood floor and cream-colored walls, the light gave the room warmth and depth in the shades and shadows cast on the deep, red furniture.

The living room was open and spacious, having a long couch and a big TV. Adjacent was the kitchen—an absolutely stunning granite, chrome and cherrywood ensemble—with no divide between the two rooms. And a hall to the side made way to the bathroom and bedrooms.

I looked over to where Diana and Jamie were watching TV on the couch. "What do you guys want for dinner?" I asked.

"Pizza!" was the collective response.

I grimaced. "I'm not sure if we have the ingredients to make pizza." I turned to the kitchen and started looking through the fridge and the cabinets. Everything and more was completely stocked. "I guess we're having pizza."

Dinner took more than two hours to make, but I was thankful for the work to do. Normally, I wouldn't have agreed to make pizza from scratch, but I needed something to keep my mind off the situation. Ultimately, I made three pizzas and didn't eat any of it, making a whole leftover pizza after the kids ate.

Tired mentally and physically, I fed Byron and changed him before sending the kids off to bed. Diana stayed up with me to help clean the dishes and pack the rest of the pizza for the kids' lunches. "Go off to bed, sweetheart," I said. "I'll finish up."

"You sure?" she looked concerned.

"Yeah, go on."

"Good night."

"Night, sweetie." I turned back to the dishes, sticking them in the dishwasher that had taken me ten minutes to figure out. Everything in the kitchen was state of the art, and I was used to cheap crap that had to be kicked to work.

It pissed me off.

Everything was making me angrier, and I didn't know why. Maybe I should have been at least a little happy that I was getting new things and better equipment, but I had never been pampered in my life. I worked and fought—blood, sweat, tears, and all—for the things I had. And I had taken comfort in the knowledge that what I had earned was my own.

A knock at the door took my attention, and I cautiously came up to it. "Who is it?" I asked.

"The bastard."

I sighed, not having the energy to be irritated nor confront him. "What do you want?"

"To talk about your schedule."

"It's late," I groaned. "Can't we talk about this later?"

"Classes are in session, and this is the only time that I'm free."

I was silent for a moment, weighing my options, but opened the door anyway, giving in to my stress. I just wanted this over with.

"Can I come in?" he asked pleasantly.

"You can keep your ass right there."

He smiled in reply. "Of course," he complied. "We just have to discuss a few things. I understand that you are a college graduate, so we've planned your classes accordingly." He handed me a strip of paper. "You first have Vampyre Sociology 101, followed by Economics and Spanish 101."

I glanced at the paper and handed it back. "I had a minor in economics, and I'm fluent in Spanish. What else you got?"

He looked to be taken aback. "Um...Sketching?"

I was starting to doubt his intelligence. "You do know that I make art for a living, don't you?"

"Music?"

"I took a year of music theory."

"Tae Kwan Do?"

"Took a semester in college."

"Voice?"

"Used to take lessons from my neighbor."

"Business?"

"Seriously?"

He looked to be running out of options. "Math, Computers, Anatomy, Physiology, Quantum Physics?"

"I've already taken Calculus with Analytical Geometry. Know enough about computers. Took anatomy. Took physiology. And I don't care for quantum physics. I'm going to guess that you don't have anything at the graduate level to offer beside that last one."

He looked frustrated. "We can't just have you take one class."

I sighed. "Why not? I have kids to take care of and a job. I can't be out doing things all night. How about this? I take the first class and come back and sleep so that I can drive my kids to school in the morning and spend the rest of the day moving my stuff from my apartment to here. Sound good?"

"Lori." Perry appeared behind me. I turned and picked him up.

"What's wrong, honey?" I asked. "Why aren't you in bed?"

"I can't sleep without Oso," he said. "He's back at home."

"I'm sorry. We'll get Oso tomorrow. Go off to bed. I'll be there when I'm done talking to the nice man." I set him back down when he nodded. "Anyway—" I turned back to the man "—do we have an agreement?"

He looked resigned. "Fine," he agreed. "Class starts at eight tomorrow night. I'll arrange for someone to go with you to the apartment at, say, six tomorrow morning."

"I don't need it."

"Your car is still at your apartment, and as I've said before, you will die if you are away from an adult vampyre for too long."

I pursed my lips, remembering the splitting headache that had knocked me unconscious. "Fine," I acquiesced. "If that's all, can I get some sleep now?"

"Of course. Good night, Miss Arieta."

"My name is Lori. Miss Arieta is my hag of a mother."

"Would you like to change your name to just 'Lori' then? You can do that here."

I shook my head. "I am Lorraine Deirdre Arieta, and I would like to keep it that way."

"It is a beautiful name."

It was the first compliment I had received in a long time, but I wasn't about to take his flattery. "Thanks," I muttered, then paused as I realized something. "I never got your name. What is it?"

He smiled. "I thought you'd never ask. Professor Cailean Vives. Please call me Cai."

"Cai. Cailean. Gaelic?"

He looked surprised. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"My mother is Irish, and she taught me Gaelic. I don't remember a lot of it, but it has a very distinct cadence and structure."

"Impressive," he said. "Don't tell me you majored in linguistics."

I had to smile at that. "Impressive," I returned. "As a matter of fact, I did."

He smiled back. "Finally," he said, "a smile. I was starting to think you couldn't."

An odd feeling came over me when I saw him nod. "Good night," he bade, "Lorraine." I watched him disappear down the hall and slowly backed out of the door. It closed with a click.

When I went to check on Perry, he was asleep, as was Jamie. With replenished fatigue, I walked into the bathroom. The kids had picked out different color toothbrushes from a package that was now on the counter, half-emtpy. They had put them in the metal holder on the granite counter.

I picked a red toothbrush from the package and threw the rest into a drawer. The trail of toothpaste across the counter directed me to the Colgate, which I was happy to use, but as I started brushing, I looked up into the mirror. My hand stopped.

Upon my forehead was a filled crescent moon in a gold color. Like a fiery slice of the sun, it stood out even from under my black hair. Nyx, goddess of the night, had given me day.

Ophelia was over at my apartment when Cai parked at the curb out front. She sprinted across the lawn when she saw me and nearly ripped off the car door. "_Are you okay!_" she exclaimed and pulled me out of the car, into an embrace. "I was so worried."

Ophelia had been my best friend since kindergarten. Her fiery spirit envied only her fiery hair. But her eyes surely burned the hottest, as they were a blue of fire unlike the ice of mine. She held me at arm's length and pushed back my bangs. "Oh, would you look at that! I didn't know they were this color. Thought they were all blue."

"They are," Cai interjected, pushing up his sunglasses. "She's special."

I was somewhat irritated that he was the one to drive me. I was still thankful, however, and it was evident that he hadn't slept in a while by the bags forming under his eyes. "Whatever, let's go," I said. "I have to get my car and get the kids."

Ophelia jumped up. "Oh, wait a second there, honey!" She pointed to my Mark. "You've got to tell me how all this went. I had heard you'd been acting funky, but I didn't think it was because of this."

I sighed and took Ophelia's hands in mine. "Please let me tell you later," I begged. "I can't take much more, and I really can't lose you right now."

Her eyes softened. "Of course, babe. I ain't going nowhere." She smiled. "I know better than most people. Vampyre or not, it don't change a thing."

I smiled back. "Thanks. I'm so happy to have you here."

"You just tell me what you need, and I'm happy to help."

I thought for a moment. "I hate to take advantage of that, but could you help me move some things from the apartment to my...uh...new place?"

She nodded. "Sure thing. I got nothing better to do."

"Thanks so much."

"It's nothing. C'mon, let's get to it."

For the next hour, Cai and Ophelia helped get my easel and paints and current work in the cars, along with books and toys for the kids and Perry's bear. I took my make-up and toiletries in the purse I had left behind along with everyone's clothes. The cars were stuffed when all three of us left for the school.

I was happy to be in my own car again and almost as happy to be out of Cai's. I really didn't know what it was about the guy that made me hate his guts. Maybe it was that he threatened me. Maybe it was his perfect fucking face like the rest of the vampyres. …Maybe I had stick up my butt.

Whatever it was, I didn't like him. And I didn't like the House of Night. And I didn't like having to completely reorganize my life because some dude decided that I needed to have a beacon on my head.

When I got out of my car at the school, I gave a short, stifled chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Cai asked, picking up a box of paint supplies from his car.

"It's nothing," I said. I had just realized that I was doing the exact thing that I chastised my kids for: complaining. And it was getting me no where. At these moments, I remembered my grandfather's words. _Vivir con miedo es como vivir a medias_, he would say. It was a Spanish proverb that translated roughly meant: A life lived in fear is a life half-lived.

I had a lot of fears. Fears for my kids. Fears of the government. Fears that I wasn't a good mom. Always fearful. Right now, I feared that this arrangement wouldn't work out, and my kids would be taken away from me. But instead of being cooperative and finding out my options, I was complaining and resisting.

I sighed and looked at Cai as we carried boxes of stuff. "Thank you," I said softly.

He looked surprised then smiled. "You're welcome."

I looked at the filled Mark on his forehead and recalled something I'd heard about vampyres. "Only adult vampyres have those tattoos, right?" At this point, I was forcing myself to make an effort to find out more on this place. "And the filled Marks."

"Yes," he confirmed. "That's another thing that makes you special. Your Mark is filled."

I didn't care about that. "Your Mark is filled, but I don't see any tattoos."

He smiled. "I keep them hidden."

"Why's that?"

"They tend to be...distracting."

I scrutinized his face. It wasn't completely angles like Dimitrius, but he still had a strong jaw, and I would bet good money that a hit to the face wouldn't give him a bloody nose. Still I had to take the opportunity to poke at him. "What are they kittens?"

"Close," he admitted.

I didn't know if he was being serious, but I didn't press for more information as we walked into the dormitory. I hated climbing the stairs, but I walked quicker than Cai, wanting to get back and check on Byron. I trusted Diana, of course, but it didn't do much for the fear.

"Just place that over there," I directed when we walked in. "And could you go down and help Ophelia? She's probably struggling to walk over here."

"Sure." He left

I walked into my bedroom where Diana was changing Byron on the table in the corner. "How's he been?" I asked.

"Fine," she answered. "Hasn't cried at all."

"Good," I said. "Can you watch him a little longer while I get Jamie and Perry up?"

"Sure."

I walked out again and into Jamie and Perry's bedroom. They were already up and getting dressed. "What do you guys want for breakfast?" I asked.

"Cereal!" was the collective answer.

I smiled. "Cereal it is." I walked back out to the kitchen, and I wasn't looking through every cabinet for bowls and cereal. I pulled them out immediately and left the milk out for Diana to pour so that I could handle Cai and Ophelia, who had just come in with more boxes. "Right over here," I said and took Ophelia's box, seeing that her arms were shaking.

"This is some nice place you got," she commented.

"And you wouldn't believe the fuss she made over it," Cai muttered.

"Oh, I believe," Ophelia said. "This girl's been moved all over the country, and she hates it. Only been at that apartment about six months now."

"Is that right?"

I grimaced. "Always opening your mouth," I muttered. "C'mon. I gotta take the kids by eight."

"What time does their school start?" Cai asked.

"Eight-thirty."

"It's seven-fifteen."

I sighed and shook my head. "With these kids, we'll be lucky to leave in an hour."

Cai looked at me curiously. "How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

He gestured to everything around. "All of it. Being a guardian and...just everything."

I looked at him and, with all seriousness, said, "I just love them."

* * *

It was around four in the afternoon when I finished unpacking and called Burke, my agent. "Yeah, I'm going to need an extension on the water painting," I said.

"Okay, I'll let Mr. Hennings know," Burke agreed. "A week enough?"

"Should be. Thanks."

"No problem. See you later."

I hung up and sighed, holding my face in my hands. I was used to asking for extensions, but when it came to work, I hated to request anything. There wasn't really a reason that I could think of as to why I didn't. It was just one of those things.

My cellphone rang. "Hello?"

"Ms. Arieta," a stiff female voice answered, "Perry threw up in class, and he needs to be picked up."

"Of course," I said. "I'll be right there. Thank you." I hung up and went into the bathroom to apply concealer on my Mark quickly, then made my way to the bedroom. Byron was sleeping among the pillows, so I delicately scooped him up and grabbed the baby bag and the carrier. He stirred when I strapped him in, but didn't wake.

The sun was high when I walked out of the dormitory. It felt good on my skin, warming me in its light. I had always loved the sun. It was one of the things I loved about Miami's weather.

When I came to my car, I strapped Byron's carrier into a seat and got in. My old clunker of a car started up with a grumble, a huff, and a growl, then I was on my way. The school was only ten minutes away, and when I arrived, the nurse seemed surprised that I had come so quickly.

"I believe he's got a flu," she said. "Hydrate him."

"Yes, thank you," I said, then turned to Perry. "Come on, honey. Let's get you home."

I took his little hand, and we walked out together. He looked so pale and tired, and I didn't know if there was medicine at the penthouse. I pursed my lips. I had medicine at the apartment, and he could sleep there until I picked up the kids.

Deciding on that, I gave him a plastic bag in the car and drove off. "Throw up in there if you need to," I said.

He gave a weak nod.

"I have medicine at home," I continued, "so take some and then get some rest, okay?"

Another weak nod.

We were silent all the way to the apartment. "Go lay down in bed," I said when we walked in. "I'll get you the medicine."

Perry walked off, so I took the still sleeping Byron and placed him in my bedroom, arranging the pillows in a diamond around him so that he wouldn't flip over in his sleep. Quickly, I went into the bathroom and looked through our medicine cabinet for Pepto. I got a small dose and walked out to the kitchen for Gatorade and the throw-up bucket.

Perry was lying in bed when I came back. I gave him the Pepto to take and put the Gatorade on his night stand. Putting the bucket on the floor beside his bed, I waited until he had drank the pink liquid to take it back and hand him the Gatorade. "Drink this," I instructed, "and let me know when you're done so I can get you another, okay?"

He gave a short bob of his head in answer. "All right, sweetie." I smoothed back his hair and pushed the blanket up him. "Get some rest."

I turned to leave.

"Mommy."

I stopped in my tracks and turned around slowly. "Yes?"

"Can I have the cherry flavor?"

I smiled. "Of course."


	3. Chapter 3

**3.**

"So what do we know about Lori?" Cai asked at the teachers' conference. "Other than, of course, that she has a gold Mark."

The professors of the House of Night gathered before school every other day to discuss events and/or problems. The conference table had full-attendance, but the room was dark and quiet.

"She certainly has a mouth and no respect for you," Marigold offered suddenly. "Why did you go with her off campus this morning?"

Cai sighed in exasperation. "I was helping her move her belongings to the dorm. She _is_ raising four kids. That requires some things that we didn't supply."

"They're probably all her own kids," she muttered under her breath.

"June!" Cai burst. "For making such a statement, you had better have sensible reason!"

Marigold shrunk in her seat. "I do," she mumbled, then louder, "as a matter of fact. Last year, she had a boyfriend who disappeared after discovering that she was three months along with...his child."

A silence weighed in the room. Cai sat back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Marigold shrugged. "No one knows about the kid. Only the boyfriend knew she was pregnant. She just disappeared for six months after and came back for the custody battle. She _does_ have a baby."

Cai sighed again with newfound stress. "It doesn't matter," he said. "It's her own private business, and you had no right to pry, June. I will speak with you later."

She scowled. "You asked what we know."

"I meant about her condition, such as special abilities."

"We don't know much," Professor Scotty Pearson offered. She fiddled with her lip ring for a moment. "Other than being able to be away from adult vampyres for extended periods of time, she's a mystery. Like Zoey, we won't know until time tests her." She ran a gloved hand through her jet black hair cut like a boy's. "I'll investigate her more at Vampyre Sociology class tonight."

"Thank you, Scotty," Cai said. "May I ask that you check with her before class? I didn't have the time to give her a tour, so she probably doesn't know where to go."

"I suppose," Scotty agreed. "What do I get in return?"

Cai stood. "The chance to meet an expressive young woman." He turned to leave. "I'll see you all later."

Everyone stood and bowed as he exited out of the room.

"Marigold," Scotty called as everyone was filing out, "hang back. I want to talk with you for a second."

There was a stifled, collective chuckle from the rest of the professors. Marigold pursed her lips as Scotty closed the door after everyone. "What were you thinking!" Scotty scolded. "Putting _that_ kind of information on the table in front of everyone! Where the hell did you hear about that anyway?"

"What's it matter to you?"

Scotty walked up to her, getting really close. "You're hiding something." She narrowed her eyes. "I don't care what the girl called you, even you're not a total bitch. Why would you go through such lengths to get that kind of information?"

"I didn't do shit!"

"The hell you didn't!" Scotty stood back and folded her arms across her chest. "Unless someone gave you that information. Who was it?"

That hit the mark. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a liar, Marigold."

"Oh, fuck off, dyke!"

She was fast. Suddenly, Marigold had all the air knocked out of her when Scotty pinned her against the wall by the collar.

Scotty glared daggers. "You don't know shit!" she growled. "Maybe you think you can get away with this bullshit because you've got the High Priestess fooled, but _ever_ cross me, and you'll be staring at stars on the pavement." She let go of Marigold, who then slumped onto the floor, and walked out, pulling a cigarette from a pack in her jacket. "Damn bitch."

She smoked in the early evening hours on her way to the girl's dormitory, thinking this girl had better have been worth the effort. As she came up to the penthouse door, she was surprised to hear silence. She knocked.

No answer.

She knocked again and pressed her ear to the door. Nothing. "Goddamn it," she cursed again and took out her key. The inside was dark and uninhabited.

With a sigh, Scotty took out her phone. "Hey, Cai," she said when he answered, "we got a problem. The girl ain't here."

"What!" Cai exclaimed. "Are you sure?"

"I'm standing alone in the penthouse right now. She's not here."

"Why can't she stay in the same place?" he groaned. "I'll call her, but she's probably at her apartment in the city."

"I'll check it out," Scotty agreed. "What's her address?"

He recited it and hung up.

Scotty flipped her phone shut and took another drag from her cigarette. This was looking to be a long fucking night.

* * *

I fed Byron while Diana tended to Perry. Jamie was left to watch TV quietly, which I was just fine with. The day had felt much longer than I would have liked. Perry kept vomiting, so I had spent the entire day trying to keep him hydrated. Only now that he was asleep were things quiet again.

Byron fell asleep, so I set him down for bed. No sooner had I encased him in his pillows than a knock at the door brought my head around. I hurried to answer. "Hello, Ms. Arieta," Ms. Fisher greeted.

My heart sank as my social worker smiled warmly at me. "Hey, Ms. Fisher," I returned with a smile. "Today's Thursday, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is, Ms. Arieta," she bubbled. "May I come in?"

I stepped aside. She came in on kitten heels, scuffing up my hardwood floor. "Can we make this visit a little short?" I requested. "Perry's down with the flu, and I'm very tired."

"Yes, I'll be quite quick," Ms. Fisher said. "How about you just show me all the paperwork, the apartment, and give me a brief summary of this week. Then I'll be off. I do hope Perry gets better."

I sighed in relief. "Yes, thank you." We were about to sit at the dining table when my phone rang. "Excuse me for a minute," I said and flipped it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Where are you!" Cai burst.

I stood and walked into the bathroom. "Perry got the stomach flu," I explained. "I had to go get him, and we don't have medicine over there. I just came home. Is that so bad?"

"You didn't tell anyone!"

"Well, sorry! I do enough checking up with my _social worker_."

He sighed. "It doesn't matter," he grumbled. "I sent one of the professors over there to get you."

I wasn't speechless so much as dying inside. "You did what!" I thought of a big, tattooed vampyre walking into my doorway and connecting eyes with Ms. Fisher, ruining my life as my kids were taken away. "Call them off! My social worker is here _right fucking now_!"

He was quiet for a moment. "Scotty's a professional. She'll make sure your social worker doesn't suspect a thing."

"You don't sound so sure."

"I trust Scotty."

"I swear to God, Cai, if my kids are taken away because of you—"

"They won't. Trust me."

"Why the hell should I?"

He was silent. "Scotty will be there soon. I'll talk to you later." He hung up.

I nearly threw my phone at the wall. This was all so fucked. I walked out of the bathroom and back to the dining room. "Sorry," I apologized to Ms. Fisher. "That was my agent."

Ms. Fisher chuckled. "No, you would never yell at Burke," she deduced. "You've gotten a special someone, haven't you?"

I shook my head fervently. "No, I haven't," I denied. "Burke and I had a disagreement."

She shook her head with a smile. "There's nothing wrong with that," she said. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone."

I sighed and thanked fortune that Ms. Fisher was the kindest social worker on the planet. A knock at the door, however, and my heart nearly stopped. "Please excuse me again." I walked over to the door and had my hand rest on the knob a moment, reluctant to see who was on the other side.

A woman stared up at me. Her many piercings glimmered in the soft light as she fiddled with her lip ring. "Found you," she said.

I shook my head. "Please leave," I begged. "I can't have you here right now."

"Is it life or death?" she asked.

I didn't hesitate. "Yes, it is. Your absence for the next half-hour is imperative."

She sighed. "All right. I'll be waiting."

I was taken aback. She was far more easygoing than Cai who probably would have just barged his way in, looking for the threat.

I turned back to Ms. Fisher. "Sorry," I apologized quickly. "That was my neighbor."

"What did she want?" Ms. Fisher asked.

"Oh, uh...she was just...looking for...someone else."

"I see," Ms. Fisher said and stood. "Well, if you would let me inspect the house."

"Sure. Sure. Go right ahead." As Ms. Fisher started her inspection, I prayed that Diana had heard Ms. Fisher come in and hid Byron. Of all the times, today had to be Thursday. I cursed my forgetfulness and strangely good luck that Perry had gotten sick so that we would be home—as terrible as that was.

Something had to go right.

* * *

The woman was waiting in the hall when I escorted Ms. Fisher out. "I'll be back in two weeks," Ms. Fisher reminded pleasantly as she walked out the door. "Don't forget. And introduce me to your boyfriend."

I forced a smile. "Yeah, sure," I mumbled. "See you soon.

She walked off, passing the vampyre woman who was looking out the window thoughtfully. When Ms. Fisher had disappeared around the corner, I looked to the vampyre. "What do you want?" I asked.

The woman walked up to me. She was shorter than I, which wasn't strange given my unusually tall height, but she gave an air of pride and authority that made me feel the smaller. Her hair was cut short like a man, and her frame was more masculine as well. She fiddled with her lip ring as she watched me with strong, dark eyes. "I'm Scotty," she introduced. "Cai told me you snuck off in daylight."

I sighed and stood aside. "Well, come in," I invited. "I'm afraid that I'm not going anywhere until Perry's better. I'm Lori, but I'm sure you knew that."

Scotty stepped in and looked around. She grimaced suddenly. "What's wrong with Perry?" she asked.

I sighed. "He's down with a flu," I explained. "I got a call from the nurse only a couple hours after I dropped him off. She said that he threw up in class. I don't have medicine at the dorm, so I took him here." I looked at Scotty firmly. "And it's here that he'll stay until he feels better. Whether that be one night or three."

Scotty smiled. "All right," she agreed easily. "I can't argue with a mother. I'll go back to the school in a little bit. Just come when you can." She held out her hand. "And I think I should have introduced myself as Professor Pearson, your Vampyre Sociology teacher. Please just call me Scotty, though."

Scotty was most definitely not Cai. I shook her hand, feeling instantly relieved. "Thank you, Scotty," I said. "But won't Cai be angry?"

She looked surprised briefly, then gave a wry grin. "You just let me deal with him," she assured. "He acts big and tough, but he's really just a softie. And I think if you've already gone almost six hours without an adult vampyre, you'll be fine. You've been blessed."

I grimaced. People keep saying that. But I feel more cursed than ever. I've always been just one misstep away from total disaster, but now... I just want things to settle down before I lose my mind...and my kids."

Scotty stared into my eyes for a brief moment. "I had heard you were strong from Cai, but I didn't anticipate this."

"Disappointed?" I most certainly was.

"Shocked. Surprised—perhaps pleasantly. But not disappointed. No. I expected a fiery teenage girl, unsure of the world or what she was doing, but you are far more competent. You remind me of a lioness." Scotty smiled. "Well, have no fear. I'll explain everything to Cai, work something ourt, and hopefully I'll see you in class sooner rather than later."

I really liked Scotty. "Thank you so much."

"It's nothing." Scotty turned back and opened the door. "I hope Perry feels better."

"Thank you."

She left with a smile. I locked the door after her and walked to Perry's room where Jamie was tending to him. He was fast asleep, and she raised the bed sheets on him. I smiled and continued to my room. Diana was cradling Byron in her arms.

Everyone was tired, but from Diana's expression, I knew she was the most in need of rest. "Go on," I said. "You've got school tomorrow." I took Byron, kissed her forehead and sat on my bed. My baby's eyes were closed in his peaceful sleep. I hummed softly, overtaken by song.

There were rare moments when I just held him and nothing else mattered. A moment when I was truly at peace.

And it gave me strength.

* * *

Cai listened to Scotty, understood her reasoning, and was at a loss of how to retort. He was frustrated with Lori, but he had understood the girl. Family always came first with her, something he found hard to relate to, but he understood.

As Scotty left his office, he took out his phone. For a long while he stared at it, wanting to call and see.

"She's a brave woman," Scotty suddenly said, interrupting his thoughts abruptly.

He jumped. "Damn it, Scotty! I thought you left."

"You should get to know her better. She's more than a teen mom."

"I gathered that."

"Gather more." Scotty gave a wry grin. "I think you're just ticked because you've met your match. I'm pretty sure she can break your tough guy shell, if she hasn't already."

"What are you talking about?"

"I think you know, hard ass. But she's _way_ out of your league. Like billions of light years kind of _way_."

"I still don't follow."

"Well, she has a boyfriend, too, though, so I guess you're just screwed." Scotty didn't seem to be talking to him anymore.

"Scotty, I don't know what you're talking about. And what do you know? You met her for five minutes."

Scotty returned her attention to him and pointed to her head. "You forget my specialty."

Cai looked at his phone again. "Right. Well, go teach teenagers while I try not to furiously yell at just one."

"Oh, she's no teenager. Age ain't nothing but a number, and this girl's a perfect example."

"Regardless, she's sixteen."

"Yeah, and she's raising four kids, graduated college, and makes more money in a week than you do in half a year. She's amazing."

Cai grimaced. "Maybe too amazing. There's gotta be something human about her. She can't be flawless."

Scotty rolled her eyes. "Nobody's perfect. Nobody. But she's damn close. And don't you try to find her flaws and go prodding. You can't have her. You touch her, and you'll be the school's new hood ornament."

"Why would I do that?"

Scotty had a twinkle in her eyes. "Because you're in way over your head."

* * *

Perry only threw up once in the night before his fever broke, and he regained his appetite in the morning.

"Jamie!" I called from the kitchen. "Did you go potty?"

"Yeah!" she answered. It sounded like she was in her room.

"Diana, did you pack everyone's lunch?" I asked.

She appeared beside me with two lunch boxes. "All packed and ready," she affirmed.

I smiled. "What would I do without you?" I shook my head. "If only you were old enough to drive."

"In another year."

I held my smile, but it didn't reflect the mixed feelings I felt. Just a year, and she would be driving. In another two, she would be off to college. "Just...just don't grow up too fast. And don't you go off with no boys either."

"Yes, _mother_," Diana teased and walked away to do her make-up.

I sighed as Byron finished drinking his formula. I placed the empty bottle on the counter and held him against the towel on my shoulder. "Ten minutes!" I called out my timer, gently patting Byron on the back.

There was the sound of scrambling in the bedrooms, followed by Jamie and Perry hurrying out to the living room. They switched on the T.V.—thank goodness for that invention—and started watching reruns of "iCarly." I doubted they understood the show—I certainly didn't—but if it kept them occupied, why not let them watch.

When Byron had burped up all he could, I put him back in the sling and walked to the bathroom. Diana was putting on her eyeliner. She had a talent for make-up that most fourteen-year-olds didn't. She certainly was better than me who never wore make-up unless for an event. At least our crazy mother had had good looks to give. Diana took all of them.

"You're beautiful, honey," I said. "But no—"

"Boys. I know." She shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry. I can handle myself."

I brushed back her blond hair. It was soft and smooth, nothing like our mother. "I know you can," I said. "Just don't make the same mistake I did. You're better than that."

No matter how icy the color of her eyes, I always could see the warmth in the depths of Diana's irises. "You did all you could," she said. "It was just bad luck."

I half-smiled. "I should have prevented it in the first place," I said. "I just want better for you."

Diana looked at Byron and smiled. "What's better than this?" she asked. "Even if things had worked out, I don't think it would have been bad. We would all still love you." Her expression reminded me of our father, so very gentle and soft. "I'll be fine. Trust me."

I leaned closer and kissed her forehead. "Always."


	4. Chapter 4

**4.**

I stared out the penthouse window, watching the moon rise. The kids had been put to bed, leaving only Diana to finish up her homework. Quietly, I sipped the red wine Ophelia had given me during the day. I had called her after Perry had started running around at home, notably better. When I had told her about the night before, she insisted that I take all her bottles of zinfandel.

I had never been much of a drinker, but seeing as how alcohol was there and I felt as if the world were crumbling, a glass or two would do more good than harm. "You doing all right?" Diana asked as she came out. "It's almost time."

I looked at her tiredly. "Yeah, I should probably head out soon," I mumbled. "You finish your homework?"

She nodded. "Just finished," she said. "When will you be back?"

"A little after nine," I answered. "If you have any trouble with Byron just call me."

She smiled. "I think I'll be fine."

I wrapped an arm around her and looked out at the night. "You always are," I said. I looked down at her. "Don't you grow up too fast. You've got a whole life ahead of you."

Diana chuckled. "Says my teenage guardian."

I smiled. "Yeah, says your teenage guardian." I poked her stomach, making her jump. "I love you. You know that, right?"

She poked me back. "I know. I love you, too."

I squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Good." I downed the rest of the wine and walked to the sink. "If Jamie has a nightmare, call me. And if Perry gets up, would you mind just sitting with him until he goes back to sleep."

Diana sighed. "I know. Go. I've got it covered."

"If anything happens-"

"Call you. I know."

I smiled. "All right. Don't drink my wine. You're too young."

"You're not even eighteen."

"I'm raising four kids."

"Touche."

A knock at the door interrupted our conversation. I walked over and opened the door. A young girl about my age was standing in the doorway. She looked coy with her hands locked together in front of her and her shoulders hunched. I couldn't see much of her face from the dark curls that fell over it because of the way she hung her head. "Can I help you?" I asked.

"Professor Pearson set me to get you for class," she explained softly.

"Pearson... Oh, Scotty! Right." I looked the girl over. "What's your name?"

"Angie," she mumbled.

I leaned down to meet her eyes since she was so keen on my shoes. She shied away. "Oh, you're so pretty!" I exclaimed. "You should wear your hair back."

Angie looked up at me finally. "Really?" Her voice was like mouse.

I smiled. "Yes, you should show off that pretty face!"

She blushed and smiled. "Okay," she mumbled.

I could hear Diana chuckle behind me. I looked back. "I'm off. Take care of Byron. He didn't sleep much today, so he probably won't be trouble tonight, but you never know."

Diana rolled her eyes. "I know! Just go!"

"Okay. Bye!"

"Bye!"

I closed the door and locked it behind me. "Please lead the way, Angie," I said.

She nodded. "Right," she mumbled. I followed her downstairs and out of the dorms.

"So, Angie," I started, "how long have you been here?"

"A couple months now," she answered. "I'm still pretty new."

"That's longer than me."

She was quiet for a moment. "Is it...is it true that you called Professor Marigold 'Miss Sitck-up-her-ass?'"

I was surprised by the question, but did recall calling a certain professor that. "I think so. Is she the one who's borderline albino?"

Angie stifled a laugh. "That's her," she confirmed.

I was glad to see Angie was starting to become more comfortable. It was obvious she was a result of bullying. "Oh! Do you know Professore Vives?" I asked.

Angie looked up at me briefly, surprised. "Yeah, he's...well...I guess he's the principal. We don't actually have a principal, but he's the closest thing to it. He directs all the teachers."

"Does he teach?"

"Yeah, he teaches almost all the science and math classes. Do you know him?"

I grimaced. "You could say that."

We continued through a courtyard and to a large building made of a light stone. "This it?" I asked, staring up at the building roof covered in an ornate swirling design.

Angie nodded. "Yeah, this is it," she said. I followed her through an archway and down a corridor. She opened a door close the end and motioned for me to go in.

Scotty was sitting at a desk, typing on a computer. She looked up when I walked in. "Glad you could make it...finally," she greeted. "You've got some catching up to do."

"That I do," I said. "Thanks again for yesterday. Cai wasn't too happy. He called me multiple times today.

Scotty chuckled. "What did you do?"

I grinned. "Well, the fifth time he called, Perry was asking me for juice, and I had this idea. I told my little boy, 'Tell the nice man what you said this morning.' So I put Perry on the phone, and he said, 'You're bothering Lori, meanie! Stop yelling at her!' When I took the phone back, Cai just told me to come back soon and hung up."

Scotty tossed her head back and laughed. "That's so cute!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to have to use that later on him!"

Angie looked confused. "So you do have kids?" she said. "It's true then."

I shook my head. "No, they're my siblings. My mother wasn't very...maternal. Once I had been emancipated, I fought for custody." I grimaced. "My mother didn't even fight back. She actually just signed the forms immediately, didn't say a word to any of us."

The room fell quiet.

"But, uh, I won't bother you with my bleak history," I said. "Class starts in fifteen minutes, right?"

Scotty nodded. "Yeah," she said. "Sit wherever you'd like."

I looked back at Angie who was standing awkwardly alone. "Where do you usually sit?" I asked.

She looked surprised briefly before pointing to the desk at the very front. The room was arranged by rows of long desks that swept up like a stadium. A large white canvas hung at the front where a projector could display the subject. Angie walked down the stairs to the front and sat.

"May I sit with you?" I asked.

Again, she looked surprised, but nodded. "Yes...please. Uh, go ahead."

I smiled and scootched in beside her. "Why don't you have a notebook?" I asked.

She didn't look up from the desk. "I have photographic memory. Unless I'm trying to solve a problem, it feels redundant to write things down."

"Wow, really? That's pretty amazing. I wish I had photographic memory. Would have saved me a lot of trouble in college, anyway."

"You've been in college?"

"Graduated a couple months ago."

"And you're only sixteen?"

"I skipped two grades in elementary and took two years of community college while I was in high school. Saved me some time."

"How did you manage all of it?"

"A lot of coffee."

Angie chuckled, a sweet and gentle sound.

Scotty gave me a look, a mix of approval and pride and something like surprise. I continued to make conversation with Angie about the world of vampyres while people slowly filtered in. As their whispers at my presence grew, I made a better effort to keep Angie focused on the conversation rather than the gossip circulating. Five minutes until the start of class, a girl came up to me.

She reminded me of a prostitute, but I figured it was just the new teen trend. In a tiny jean skirt and a black halter top, she looked more hoochie than teenage. "You the new girl?" she asked, staring with make-up heavy eyes.

I sighed. "Yes," I answered blandly. "I'm Lori. You are?"

"Ruby," she said and flipped her red hair back. The poor strands had been damaged badly, having undergone too much pain by a flat iron. "You don't look like a whore."

I raised my eyebrows. I had anticipated some high school bullshit to be here, but I hadn't thought it would come on day one. "That makes one of us," I said. "Cover up, girl. Gotta have some secrecy. Doesn't this school have a dress-code?"

A hush fell on the room. I felt Angie scoot away a little. "You got a problem with me?" Ruby asked, her perfect brows shooting up.

"I was really hoping to avoid having problems," I said, "but it doesn't look like that's going to be the case."

Ruby glared. "You better watch yourself, bitch."

"Have been since I was six," I muttered. "How about a different task? I can paint. How about painting?"

She planted her manicured hands on her hips. "Are you mocking me?"

"Why yes, sunshine. That's typically the purpose of sarcasm."

A fire was burning behind the girl's eyes. "You will regret this," she growled.

I sighed. "Yes, regrets... Dear me, I have too many. Although, I have to say I don't have any about this current moment. Actually, I'm quite enjoying myself. Thank you."

"That's enough, Ruby," Scotty interjected. "You, too, Lori. The last thing you need is getting on people's bad side on your first day."

I smiled. "I respectfully disagree, Professor," I said. "I believe the last thing I need is another person to worry about."

"Oh, right, you've got four kids," Ruby said. "I guess you've been busy."

I chuckled. "Yep," I agreed. "And I think my vagina is _still_ tighter than yours."

"Lori!" Scotty burst as snickers broke out across the room.

I raised my hands in surrender. "Fine, fine, I'll stop." I looked at Ruby. "Sorry for my implications. I'm sure you're a great person."

Ruby just sneered and sauntered away to the back. As the clock struck eight, Scotty gave me a final warning glance and called everyone to silence. The session was going well and orderly. Angie was answering all my questions when I had them.

About a half-hour in, however, and I started hearing the whispers from the back grow louder and louder until I could make out every last syllable. "Who the hell does she think she is?" someone grumbled. "Just 'cause she's staying in the penthouse with all her fucking kids, she thinks she's some sort of special shit."

"Fuck her," Ruby mumbled. "She's nothing but a whore anyway. We'll get her back."

"What are you going to do?" another girl asked. "The only way up to the penthouse is with a key."

"I'll find a way."

_Keep brainstorming_, I thought. _Hit me with your best shot._

My phone buzzed with a new text. It was from Diana. _Byron won't stop crying_, it read. _And Jamie has diarrhea. Burke also left five voice mails. I need another hand._

"Damn it," I cursed softly and raised my hand.

Scotty paused. "What is it?" she asked.

"Something's wrong with Byron and Jamie," I explained. "I have to go."

Scotty sighed. "All right" she said. "If they're better before class ends, would you mind coming back?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you. Sorry for the interruption." I hurried up the stairs and headed out, needing to get back to my babies as quickly as possible.

"What are you doing out of class?"

I turned my head to see Cai coming toward me. I kept my pace with a grimace. "I could ask you the same thing," I muttered.

He kept step beside me. "I'm serious. You shouldn't be out of class."

"Well, I was having a lovely time with a delightful girl named Ruby, but my family needs me right now."

"What's wrong?"

"Byron's being finicky, Jamie's sick, and my agent is hounding me." I set my eyes on him. "And no, I don't need your help. Just go do principal-ly things."

"Principal-ly things?" He chuckled. "Sure. Just stay out of trouble and take care of yourself."

"Don't I always?"

"Not at all."

"So I've been caught." I looked ahead. "Good night, Cai. Stop stalking me."

"So I've been caught. Good night." He stopped, as I continued on. After a moment, I heard him again. "Wait, Lori!" he called.

I paused for a moment to look back. "What is it?"

"Have...have you ever thought of..." His words trailed off. "Nevermind," he said. "Just take care."

I gave him an odd look before turning around again and walking off.


End file.
